Slow Food founder Petrini named FAO 'zero hunger' ambassador

(ANSA) - Rome, May 25 - The UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) has named Slow Food founder Carlo Petrini its 'zero hunger' special ambassador to Europe, Farm Minister Maurizio Martina said Wednesday.
    "I am very, very happy," Martina said.
    "I am sure Carlo will engage with the enthusiasm and commitment we have always known, and that have made him the uncontested protagonist of the civil movement to uphold the right to food that is good, clean and fair," the minister said, citing the Slow Food motto.
    "The 2030 zero hunger target...is within our reach," Martina said. "(Petrini's) contribution will be decisive in arriving at that objective".
    Martina also thanked FAO Director-General José Graziano da Silva for his "sensitivity" in choosing Petrini, who is internationally recognized for his pioneering work over the last 30 years to improve the sustainability, biodiversity and ethics of the world's agriculture and food supply.
    Founded in 1986, the Slow Food movement is aimed at reviving artisanal, eco-friendly food production techniques that are threatened by industrial farming and mass food production.
    The organization now has over 100,000 members and supporters in over 150 countries, defending local food traditions, supporting biodiversity, tackling food waste and promoting small-scale quality products.
    Petrini was born in the Piedmont town of in 1949 and was a Time magazine hero of the year in 2004.